9 Best Antique Stores in Minnesota!
Folks in the Upper Midwest believe in quality and tend to keep things for a long time. Understandably, this makes Minnesota a fertile ground for antiques. From hand-crafted furniture to architectural rarities and vintage clothes, the North Star State is a veritable paradise for antiquers. Here are the 9 best antique stores in Minnesota.
Midtown Antiques, Stillwater, MN
Named one of the “Best Antiquing Towns in the U.S.” by Fodor’s, you can’t limit Stillwater—Minnesota’s oldest city—to a single store. You’ve just got to walk the six-block stretch of Main Street that consists primarily of antique shops, antiquarian book stores, vintage boutiques, and restaurants. Start at Staples Mill Antiques and work your way south. When you reach the other end of Main Street, stop in at The Freight House to grab some Street Tacos and a blood orange margarita.
Blake Antiques, Hopkins, MN
Among the best in Hopkins (a “hotbed of antiques”), Blake Antiques specializes in quality furniture, jewelry, pop art, and Americana from the 1850s to the 1960s. The store’s layout makes it particularly easy to navigate, in spite of its vast, constantly-rotating selection of antiques. Non-furniture items are displayed in sections, using coordinated furniture pieces as display fixtures.
Architectural Antiques, Minneapolis, MN
If you like your antiques in larger sizes, Architectural Antiques is the place to be. One of the largest such inventories in the country, AA specializes in fixtures and materials reclaimed from buildings that have been destroyed or repurposed. Need a new built-in for the living room or door for the den? Or perhaps just some new handles for the kitchen cabinets… Architectural Antiques is the place for you.
John Kruesel’s General Merchandise & Auction Company, Rochester, MN
This venerable dealer in Rochester’s 3rd Street Historic District specializes in estate jewelry, photos, lamps and light fixtures, and historic documents. Kruesel’s runs estate sales, so the flow of merchandise into the shop is steady, and the inventory changes frequently. Every May and August, Kruesel’s participates in Rochester’s Gold Rush, which brings together several antiques dealers, a flea market, and eager shoppers for three days of treasure hunting.
Antiques on Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN
This warren of eclecticism is the result of nearly 50 antiques dealers coming together under a single roof in Hopkin’s, which is one of the state’s most popular antiquing destinations. With everything from books and records to ceramics and light fixtures, there is no rhyme, reason, or theme to the place except that it’s chock full of antiques. You’ll need some time to get through all Antiques on Mainstreet has to offer.
Buffalo Nickel Antique Market, Buffalo, MN
This huge barn-full of antiques on Highway 55 has been a Wright County fixture for more than a quarter-century. Home to dozens of discrete dealers, the Buffalo Nickel is one of those places where you can start in the morning and not realize that evening had fallen as you wandered from collection to collection.
Father Time Antiques, Duluth, MN
Father Time Antiques in Duluth’s popular Canal Park tourist district is the area’s most venerable antiques mall. The dealers’ collections range from fishing gear and bar signs to toys and home décor. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at Father Time, you should probably give up antiquing.
AntiQues Minnesota, Burnsville, MN
AntiQues Minnesota is the largest and one of the oldest antiques malls in the state. Now housed in a newer facility, the mall is home to 350 unique dealers. Needless to say, AntiQues Minnesota has just about every kind of treasure for which you might be hunting.
The Missouri Mouse, St. Paul, MN
The Missouri Mouse is a confederacy of nearly 50 dealers in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood. Browsing their collections, you’ll find pottery, folk art, textiles, and fishing gear, as well as maps and prints. With a couple of other shops nearby, the Missouri Mouse is a great place to start your antiquing adventure.
